The disclosed embodiments relate to wireless devices and wireless communication networks, and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for determining a connection quality of a wireless device on a wireless network.
Wireless communications devices, such as mobile phones, pagers, handheld computers, etc., are becoming increasingly popular for both business and personal use. One advantage of such devices is their “wireless” aspect, allowing them to be utilized whenever and wherever a user desires. As the use of wireless devices grow, and as the associated wireless communications networks grow, users have an ever-increasing expectation of being able to connect with a wireless network at any location. Thus, one aspect of user satisfaction when utilizing a wireless device deals with the ability of the wireless device to establish a communications connection with a wireless network, as well as the ability of the wireless device to maintain that connection.
Some communications protocols have developed standard mechanisms that define an event associated with a connection characteristic, such as an access failure and a call drop. For example, in the Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”) protocol, such mechanisms include timers that are associated with an event that defines a failure, e.g. from the Interim Standard (“IS”)-95 standard, time limit T5m is associated with a call drop. Other protocols, such as the Universal Mobile Telephone System (“UMTS”) protocol, do not have such standard mechanisms that correspond to a connection quality characteristic. Without such standard mechanisms, it is difficult to measure and manage connection quality between a wireless device and a wireless network.